by Vanessa Kier
If so, surely Marcus would have explained Seth’s status. Which meant it was likely that Dev had been ordered to bring Seth in.
Shit. He had to find a way to get Kirra safely to her brother without getting himself captured. Because capture would not excuse him from reporting to Bureh.
“Now listen up,” Dev said. “Don’t go anywhere near the concert venue. The rebels have blocked all access roads. Give me your coordinates and I’ll direct you to a safe house.”
“Uh, hold on.” Seth pulled over to the side of the road and checked the compass on his watch. Then he read off the coordinates.
“You’re not heading to the concert?”
“Are you crazy? Of course not. Any idiot could anticipate that move by the rebels.”
“Good. Give me a moment.” There was the sound of paper rustling. “Okay, here’s where you want to go. It’s a fairly large town for that area. You’ll come upon it in about ten kilometers. Once you reach the town, this is how you find it.”
Safe house, Seth mouthed to Kirra before he repeated the directions back to Dev. From the rapt way she listened in, he knew she was memorizing the route. Good. He wanted her to be able to find the house if something happened to him. They should be far enough away from the concert to be out of range of any rebel patrols, but he wasn’t counting on it.
“The key is taped to the underside of the wheelbarrow in the toolshed,” Dev continued. “There’s running water and electricity all week because, even though they’re fifteen kilometers from the concert, the town is serving as an overflow location for the attendees. Once you get there, keep Kirra inside. I’m en route and should be there by dawn.”
It was on the tip of Seth’s tongue to ask why Marcus couldn’t fly him up, but he figured he’d pushed the WAR connection enough. “All right.”
“Shit. I’ve got an emergency incoming call. Remember, if anything happens to Kirra, I’m holding you personally responsible.” The line went dead.
“Your brother is one hard-assed control freak, you know that?” Seth grumbled.
Kirra laughed and shook her head. “Actually, except when it comes to my safety, he’s pretty much the epitome of the laid-back surfer dude.”
Seth snorted. “Yeah, not buying that for a minute.” He entered the coordinates for the safe house into his phone’s GPS. Then he flicked a glance at her. “It’s almost over. Your brother will meet us by morning.”
He hesitated. As soon as Kirra saw the little map on the phone’s screen, she was going to figure out what he’d been doing. Wanting one last, pleasant memory before she blew up at him, he leaned across the console, cupped her cheek, and kissed her. God, she tasted so sweet. Like home and salvation. Like hope.
Everything he couldn’t have.
Aching with regret, he pulled back before he fell any deeper under her spell.
Kirra cupped her hand around the nape of his neck and rested her forehead against his. “I don’t want this to be over. Not if it means losing you.”
Seth heard the tears in her voice and his soul screamed at him not to let her go. Maybe—
No. Those were dangerous thoughts. His niece was only five. She deserved to grow up without a fucking hit man following her around.
“Shh,” he told Kirra. “Don’t think about that, okay? Let’s concentrate on getting to the safe house.”
Kirra tightened her grip. “How can you tell me not to worry about the fact that the man I love, the man I want to spend my future with, is planning on dying as soon as we say good-bye?” She shook him.
“Please, Kirra. Don’t do this. Please don’t ruin these last few hours we have together by arguing.”
She flinched. Pain speared through his heart.
“Shit. I’m sorry.” He pressed his lips to her temple. “That was selfish of me. Go ahead and yell at me. I can take it.”
She shook her head and sat back. “No. You’re right. If you do end up d-dying…” She glanced away and took a deep breath. When she returned her gaze to his, her eyes were blazing. “If I do lose you, I don’t want our last moments to be negative. So…” Her shoulders lifted then fell. She held out her hand. “Give me the phone and I’ll navigate.”
With a sigh, he braced himself for the storm and handed the phone to her. Since he knew their route for the next few miles, he pulled back onto the road.
Kirra glanced at the screen, then raised her head and took note of the sun setting behind them. “We’re already in the UAR and the back road to the concert is behind us.” She sucked in a breath. “You had no plans of taking me to the concert, did you?”
The lack of emotion in her voice told him more about how deeply he’d hurt her than if she’d screamed at him. “That’s right.”
“I really have been a fool, haven’t I? You really don’t care for me.”
“No. Dammit, Kirra. I love you.”
She gave a dismissive snort.
Okay, yeah, that hadn’t been the most suave declaration. “It’s true. Because I love you, I refuse to let you put yourself in danger. Once I saw your face on the billboard, I knew the rebels would wait for you at the concert. Your brother’s report confirmed that I was right.”
“You’ve been steering us in the wrong direction that long?” She shot him a look. “It wasn’t an accident that you knocked my hand so that the map blew away, was it?”
“No.”
“You bastard! What right do you have to make such a decision for me?”
There was the anger, the vibrating fury he’d been expecting.
“Haven’t you learned anything about me?” she fumed. “I’m not stupid. I’m fully capable of making my own decisions. I told you before my reasons for not abandoning the concert.”
“Do you honestly think that the concert is still going ahead? As long as the rebels have blocked the access roads, no one is getting in or out.”
“Gee, no, I’m obviously too stupid to realize that. But did you think that maybe I’d rather take my chances with the other participants than be treated as a special snowflake and spirited away to safety?”
“Kirra, be reasonable. Your life is at risk.”
“Ja, and you know what? That’s my prerogative. I thought you knew me better than to suggest I play it safe. Instead, you’re treating me like a child. Just like Dev does.”
The hurt he heard underneath her fury clawed at his heart, but it was for the best. “Kirra—”
“No. Forget it.” She tossed his phone onto the console. “If you call that love, then I want nothing to do with it.”
His vision wavered and for a moment he couldn’t see the road. Then he shook his head and wrestled his emotions under control. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but realized that if it turned out her brother couldn’t help him, having her mad at him would ease the sting of separation.
Instead, he let the angry silence build. Then the phone rang again. Seth glanced at the display. “It’s your brother.” He pressed a button. “You’re on speakerphone,” he warned Dev.
“Ah. All right. I just received an update. The rebels have taken the larger town and have attacked the concert city.”
“No!” Kirra cried. “Is everyone okay?”
Seth’s back stiffened. “What the fuck? I thought the security team was supposed to be top-notch.” He glanced at Kirra, who nodded.
“They suspect that a member of the technical crew or one of the vendors betrayed them,” Dev said. “The leader of the security team managed to get a report out before their comm system went down. He described a three-pronged attack. Rebels assaulted the security checkpoint guarding the back access road. The bulk of the security force is holding the rebels at bay there. An explosion took out the administration and security trailer while a meeting was in progress, killing or critically wounding everyone inside. The third wave of rebels took over the bridges.”
“Shit.”
“There are over a dozen dead and two dozen wounded, including both security guards and civilians. The s
urviving security guards herded the civilians into the restricted area, which was designed to withstand an attack. They can defend the space against a siege, but they don’t have the manpower to stop the rebels from taking over the rest of the venue.”
“The concert was supposed to start at eight tomorrow,” Kirra said. “The gates would have opened at seven. Has a message gone out to warn participants and attendees to stay away?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, God. What about Miriam Tchaco? Is she already there?”
“I don’t know,” Dev said. “But that’s not the worst of the news. First, we’ve got troops from all the major rebel factions involved here.”
“I’m surprised they stopped fighting amongst themselves long enough to coordinate an attack,” Seth muttered.
“I know, right? Second, the rebels claim they have additional explosives planted inside the concert city and are threatening to blow up the entire place if Kirra doesn’t surrender herself and the diamonds to Bureh’s men by noon tomorrow.”
Kirra gasped. “Why do they want me?”
“Just speculating here, but by taking the diamonds out from underneath their noses, you made them look bad. They need to make an example of you to discourage anyone from trying that in the future.”
“Ballsy of them,” Seth said, “since the diamonds didn’t belong to Bureh in the first place.”
There was a heavy silence. “That’s what I’d heard. I find it interesting that you know about it.”
“The…uh…rightful owner wants me to turn the diamonds over tomorrow or he’s going to have his men take them from me by force.”
Dev swore in Afrikaans. Kirra narrowed her eyes at Seth.
“He’s not the rightful owner, either,” Dev said. “Which is why you need to give me the diamonds when I arrive.”
Not bloody likely. Not unless Dev promised he could arrange protection for Seth’s family. Otherwise, the diamonds were too important a bargaining chip. “Where’s the government in all this?”
“The rebels have warned that if they see anyone from the government approaching their positions, they’ll set off the explosives. In fact, if they feel threatened in any way, they’ll blow the place up.”
“I’m surprised they’ve left anyone alive,” Seth said.
“Oddly enough, I think we have Bureh to thank for that. I’m pretty certain he’s holding off on killing everyone so that he has leverage against Kirra. Then, no matter what Kirra does, he’ll kill everyone in a show of strength. With the media already in place, the coverage will consolidate his hard-core reputation.”
Kirra bit her lip.
“The government is sending forces in, but they’re moving carefully in order not to tip the rebels off,” Dev said. “Which means no helicopters. Plus, the government forces have to avoid the roadblocks the rebels have set up.”
“So it will be a while before they arrive.”
“Ja. Be extra careful while driving to the safe house, then barricade yourselves inside. I’ll be there as fast as possible.” He disconnected.
“So,” Kirra said icily. “In addition to planning on having the assassin kill you, you also worked out a deal to hand over the diamonds to someone? You’ve been busy.”
“Damn straight. Once I give Morenga’s guy the diamonds, the other rebels won’t have any use for you. Instead, they’ll go after Morenga’s guy. That’s if they have time before the government’s troops arrive and they’re forced into a fight. Bureh will be too busy worrying about saving face against the government to order his men to track you down and make an example of you. By the time he remembers what he’d intended, you’ll be long gone. Safe.”
“Safe? Maybe I don’t want to be safe. Maybe I want to help work out a deal that will free the people trapped inside the concert city. Maybe I want you to treat me like a partner, instead of a liability.”
“You are a liability.”
She sucked in a breath. “Oh, really? Who got you out from underneath that tree? Who—”
“Your intelligence and thieving skills don’t mean jack against platoons of armed men. I can’t afford to be distracted by the need to protect you.”
“I can protect myself.”
“No. You can’t. You have no part in this. Once your brother arrives, you’re done.” Self-disgust hit him as Kirra winced.
“I thought you loved me,” she accused.
Admitting that had been a mistake. “I want you safe.”
The hurt in Kirra’s eyes ate at him, and his voice took on an extra bite as he added, “What you can do is help me find the safe house.”
Her lips tightened. For a moment Seth wasn’t sure if she was going to cry or punch him. Then she shook her head, crossed her arms over her chest, and turned to stare out the side window. After a long silence, she picked up his phone. “The road we’re looking for should be up ahead on your right,” she muttered.
The pavement of the road they turned on to was lousy with cracks and potholes. The closer they drew to town, the more cars they saw on the road. Women walking along the side of the road balanced bags and suitcases on their heads, while children darted between the various clusters of adults, laughing and screaming in some game only the children understood.
Seth’s heart ached. He wished he’d had time to get to know his niece, Brianna. He wished he could have played silly games with her and hated that the most recent photos he’d seen of her had been provided by his blackmailer.
Uneasy with the increased number of people, Seth kept his attention rotating between his mirrors and the road, scanning for threats. The presence of so many potential rebel spies made him nervous. Worse, each civilian represented a potential victim should the rebels decide that a mass killing would better serve their purpose.
“Why haven’t the rebels set up a checkpoint here?” Kirra asked as the road wound through open fields dotted with tents.
“It’s too far away to be manageable.” He nodded at the road, which was barely wide enough to allow two cars to pass one another. “At night, the cover provided by the knee-high grass and by the trees in the forest will allow people to sneak past anyone stationed on the road. The rebels will concentrate their efforts on blocking the roads closest to the concert. That way there will be fewer points of entry they have to guard.”
“Better for us.” Kirra shifted in her seat.
The silence built until the weight of it threatened to suffocate him. But this time he was determined to keep the distance between them.
Seth breathed a sigh of relief when Dev’s instructions finally led them off the main road. After five minutes of bumping along narrow, unpaved lanes, they pulled up at the gate of the safe house. Seth nodded approvingly at the security spikes along the top of the wall, then entered the code into the solar-powered keypad. The gates rolled open.
Once Seth had parked inside the garage and the door had closed behind him, more of the tension he’d been carrying eased.
While Kirra waited in the garage, he performed a fast walk-through of the premises. The house didn’t have an alarm system, but all the windows had security bars. The wall and the security bars wouldn’t withstand a concentrated attack, but they would provide enough of a delay to save their lives.
Satisfied, Seth returned to Kirra.
“Why don’t you wash up first?” he told her once they’d unloaded their gear. Dev had been correct and the two-bedroom house had both running water and electricity. Even better, the bathing facilities were included in the main house instead of in a separate building. Otherwise, he would have had to stand guard while she bathed. And he didn’t think his resolve would hold if he had to stand just a door’s width away from her naked body.
She nodded, grabbed her things, and closed the door of the bathing room behind her.
All right. She was still miffed at him. He’d expected that.
After dumping his pack in one of the bedrooms, Seth set up his usual low-tech alarms. He’d just finished putting the last one in place when his phone rang.
He strode down to the table in the sitting room where he’d left it charging and frowned at the blocked number. “Hughes,” he answered cautiously.
“You have until eight tomorrow morning to turn the woman and the diamonds over to Bureh’s men at the concert,” his blackmailer said. “Or your niece dies.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The United African Republic
West Africa
Seth shoved back his panic and rage. Through sheer force of will he found that calm, icy place in the center of him that allowed him to deal with his blackmailer. “What makes you think I have either the woman or the diamonds?”
“It will be most unfortunate for your niece if you are unable to comply with my request,” his blackmailer said. “My man is most anxious to take action. Proof will arrive momentarily. Remember. By eight, or the child dies.” The man disconnected.
Seth swore in every language he knew. A moment later, his phone showed a new text message.
It contained a photo of his niece at an outdoor playground—as seen through the scope of a rifle.
Seth tossed the phone on the couch and paced away. He’d seen the fuzzy shapes of other children and their parents around the edges of the photo. If he failed to obey, then what was to stop the hit man from killing everyone on the playground?
Yet how could he—
Behind him, Kirra gasped.
He spun around and saw that she’d picked up his phone. Hair still wet from her shower, she stared in horror at the picture of his niece. “That was your blackmailer?”
No point in lying to her now. “Yes.”
She met his eyes. “He wants me and the diamonds. Did I hear that correctly?”
He paused. “Yes.”
She nodded. “Fine. Since everyone wants me, once Dev gets here, we’ll work out a plan to use me and the diamonds as a distraction. Then the two of you can rescue the people trapped inside the concert.”
His body felt frozen, but underneath, his fear and rage had turned molten. “No. Absolutely not. You’re not risking your life. There has to be—”